Hard to Get
by pietoraven36
Summary: Archangel needs Hawke and Dominic to retrieve a woman who has knowledge of something that could potentially destroy the U.S.
1. Chapter 1

A car was just driving away from Santini Air when Dominick walked out of the shop, looking after it with discontent. He growled and threw a wash rag at the ground.

Hawke walked up behind him and leaned against a helicopter.

"They weren't really worth it, Dom." he said, one eyebrow rising as he looked sideways at him.

"Yeah, but business is business and customers are customers." Dominick talking back at him in irritation. His hands were on his hips as he looked after them for second more. He finally turned away with a resigned grunt and walked back into the shop. The side of Hawke's mouth curved up a bit and he pushed away from the helicopter to follow him.

"And I'm still not happy with Archangel for giving us a time limit with that customer. I didn't give it my full attention." Dominick said, moving his arms in exasperation. He turned and looked at Hawke with a sudden anxious expression "Why do you think he wants to meet on such short notice?"

Hawke scoffed with a small laugh "Why does he ever?"

"Yeah, I suppose you're right, but I still don't like it. And you can bet he'll be receiving a bill from me for that client." Dominick said firmly, pointing a finger for emphasis with a scowl.

"Well it looks like you won't have to mail it." Hawke replied, glancing over as the white limo pulled up. The doors opened and Archangel stepped out, pressing his cane down on the concrete. Marella got out behind him, dressed in bright white just like Archangel's suit.

Hawke and Dominick both folded their arms as he approached.

"Hi." Archangel said slowly.

"Yeah? Hi yourself. What do you want?" Dominick asked bluntly.

"Can we go somewhere a bit more private?" Archangel asked, hanging over the last syllable.

* * *

"What is it Michael?" Hawke asked, shutting the door behind them and turning to look at Archangel in contempt.

"I hope you know you just lost me some business." Dominick said pointedly "I set aside some valuable time for you."

"If you want me to reimburse you, I'll do it. I'm here with something important." Archangel said forcefully and with clear impatience in his voice. He glanced at Marella, who pulled out a picture and held it up.

"This is Elena Chambers." he said. The black and white picture showed a surveillance photo of a young woman with long dark hair who was getting into a helicopter.

Hawke took it and examined it before whisking it down "What about her?"

"She's an American citizen whose father was experimenting with nuclear weapons." Archangel paused a moment to look at them "They appeared to have discovered something new. A few weeks ago, she disappeared and we were able to track her down and capture this photo. It appears she is now working alongside the Russians." Archangel said.

"What does that have to do with us?" Hawke asked indifferently.

"This woman is a genius." Archangel said, still sounding rather urgent "Her father has one of the most brilliant minds we have here and she seems to have surpassed his knowledge. She was working with her father on some new nuclear weapons when she disappeared. This is extremely dangerous, I hope you realize. Our agents found remnants of the things she was working on. We can't allow this knowledge she has to get to the Russians. Especially when we don't even know for sure what it is." Archangel looked at him "Hawke, will you help me?"

Hawke scoffed and turned away from him. He then turned back, leaning against Dominick's desk "Help you do what, Michael?"

"I need your help to get her back here before she..." Archangel shifted his jaw and paused "Before she gives the Russians information we Americans don't have."

Marella spoke "Elena isn't your everyday defector. She's trained in the martial arts and is quite a sharp shooter." She tilted her head forward at Hawke with pressing eyes "We need Airwolf to get her."

"Are you telling me you think she can take on any other helicopter?" Hawke asked skeptically, with a small laugh and shake of his head.

"She'll be in a compound, surrounded by other defenses." Archangel replied as if it were obvious "Hawke, this isn't just a petty personal mission I need, it's a matter of national security."

Hawke looked at Dominick for a moment, who gestured that it was his decision with a small shrug. Hawke let out a deep breath.


	2. Low Profile

**Hi! So I was watching Airwolf and realized Dominic isn't spelled with a "k" on the end in the movie, only on fan fiction. Therefore, I am putting a k on the end and will fix it on the first chapter! Thanks for the review CaitHawke4ever!**

"Ahh, this is nuts." Dominic said into Airwolf's helicopter helmet "We're heading into a Russian compound we don't have any idea about, looking for a girl we've never seen that has information that could start a nuclear war." he chuckled "Sounds about right."

Hawke glanced back at him slowly, then turned back "Yeah."

Dominic's eyebrows went up and down as he nodded to the back of Hawke's head.

As Hawke began to lift the lever, Airwolf started to lift into the air with a small whine from the engine. They lifted through the top of the mountain and slowly began to move forward.  
At the sound of the beeping, Hawke pressed a button to allow the transmission through.

"Airwolf here. What is it Michael?"

"I guess I forgot to thank you for doing this." Archangel said with tiny bit of bland humor in his voice "The FIRM has just informed me that the Soviet helicopters at that compound have been sent elsewhere for the time being. It might be best to go in there first without Airwolf. If you can get her out without raising the calvary, it would be strongly advised."

"This is sounding more and more like a suicide plan." Hawke said, looking up to press the button to cut the transmission.

"Why'd you do that?" Dominic asked in puzzlement "He might have had some more helpful infomation."

"I'm not interested in anymore information he has to offer." Hawke replied, guiding Airwolf to the right with a screaming sound from engine "Give me turbos."

"Turbos, coming up." Dominic replied.

Two men stood outside of a large building, rifles held over their shoulders. They stared straight ahead and nodded as two more soldiers brought in a man in handcuffs. He wasn't struggling to get away. The doors shut right behind them.

Hawke lowered his binoculars, eyes narrowed.

"Well, there it is." he said, turning to jump off the rock he stood on.

"And how does it look?" Dominic asked, eyebrows up.

"Like a military compound." Hawke responded "I really hope Archangel knows what he's doing."

####

Hawke snuck quietly along the fence, blocked from the guard's line of sight by bushes.  
He quickly sauntered forward and slipped into the gate entrance, gun at the ready. He was able to sneak along the side of the building towards another entrance. Luckily for him, this compound was fairly new. There were still bushes growing in around the building. Some of them had been pulled out of the ground, but Hawke was still able to duck behind them as he made his way toward the building. Dominic was with Airwolf, standing by in case there was any trouble.

A jeep drove by with only the driver in it and Hawke lowered his head. The man didn't even look his way, however, but Hawke stayed close to the wall. He turned the corner to approach the side entrance.

Unfortunately, there were guards here as well and one spotted him immediately.

"Privet! Vy tam, ostanovites'!" the man shouted in Russian. He pulled down his gun and the other man pulled out his radio. Hawke ran forward and punched one of them across the face, making him fly to the side. He kicked the other in the stomach and the man doubled over. Hawke kicked him across the head, knocking him out. He held his defensive position for a few seconds after, looking for other men, but none appeared.

He picked up one of their guns and then put on one of the guard's uniforms over his clothes. He rested the gun on his shoulder before, he opened the door to the building and walked in, his face a calm scowl. A man in a white lab coat walked out of one of the rooms, but he didn't even give Hawke a second glance. He was too busy looking at a piece of paper in a file.

Hawke continued walking down the hall, but backed into a doorway as more guards came around the corner. They were all talking quietly in Russian. He watched them as they passed, but like the man in the lab coat, they were distracted.

Hawke stepped back out, looking back over his shoulder to make sure that they were still walking. He hurried down the hall and stopped at the corner, gun raised. There were people talking in very angry tones just a few yards away.

The alarm sounded suddenly and Hawke's head snapped to the red light flashing on the wall. The people around the corner started talking very quickly and he backed up quickly to the same doorway.

A group of five men ran past to the same entrace he had come in. Hawke slipped out of the doorway and maneuvered down the hall quietly.

The alarm covered the sound of his footsteps luckily. He came up to a large laboratory room where a bunch of men and women were rushing to gather things. As he peered in the window in the door, he tried to see if anyone of them were Elena, but he didn't see her.

The was a shout in Russian behind him and Hawke turned to see a man with a large gun pointed at him. He leaned back into the doorway, avoiding a few shots. Then he fired back twice, hitting the man in the middle of the hall. He twisted with the force of the bullet as he fell to the ground.

Hawke walked quickly forward, gun pointed at the ceiling. Several yards down, there was another door with a window. He glanced in to a room with multiple computers and controls. He recognized Elena from the photo almost immediately, although she was much more beautiful in person. She was with a few other scientists in there. There was also a guard in there with them, waving at them to hurry up. Hawke waited a second, pressed against the wall as they came towards the door. The two scientists came first, then Elena and the guard. Hawke grabbed the guard and punched him across the face. He fell against the wall and Hawke took Elena, pressing the syringe Archangel had provided him. Elena barely had time to register it as she gasped and fell unconscious. Hawke let her fall into his arms and waved his gun at the other two scientists. They backed off, hands up, and started running down the hall.  
Hawke pulled out a radio and spoke into it.

"Come in, Dom." he said and waited a second "Dom come in."

"String, I can see men going all over the place. Are you okay?" Dominic asked through the radio.

"I'm fine, but you'd better bring Airwolf in." Hawke said "Give them something else to think about while I bring her out. There'll be guards in here soon."

"Gotcha." Dominic replied.

####

Airwolf slowly rose into the air and screeched as it flew forward. Dominic raised his chin to look down below. The men outside the building all looked up, grabbing their hats. One of them pointed at the other, shouting something. They pulled out their weapons, waving them back and forth as a spray of bullets came out.

Dominic laughed slightly, shaking his head. He pressed down with his finger and a line of fire made the men jump out of the way. He flew over the compound and tilted to fly back around. More men were exiting the building an another group was setting up a machine gun. Dominic fired a missle down at them, exploding the whole machine. He pulled Airwolf to the left, leaning to look out. He began to lower the helicopter as Hawke came out of the building. He fired at the men who noticed he was running out, putting a line between them and Hawke.

Airwolf's landing gear lowered and he set her down on the ground, allowing Hawke to climb in.

 **Please review!**


	3. A Long Way Off

"Her vital signs remain steady." the nurse beside the bed said to the group standing a few feet away "She shouldn't wake up for at least an hour."

"Thank you." Archangel said, looking at the woman in the bed. Elena lay there, still unconscious, her brown hair splayed behind her head on the pillow. Her face was very beautiful, even though she was slightly pale. She was hooked up to an I.V., which had been dripping sedative until a few minutes ago.

They were in a building controlled and protected by the FIRM. Once she was retrieved, Hawke and Dominic had brought her there under Archangel's request. They were now in a medical room where they had made sure that Elena was still sedated.

"Did she cause you much trouble?" Archangel asked, looking at Hawke with a tilted head.

"No." he replied gruffly and turned away before speaking in an almost sarcastic tone "Sorry we couldn't get out of there without raising the 'calvary'."

"That was...unfortunate, but not unplanned for." Archangel said in return.

"Oh sure." Dominic said with a sarcastic shrug "No gratitude for getting her out of there so quickly. AND safely."

"Of course I'm appreciative, Dominic." Archangel said in irritation.

"I'm sure we'd love to reward you both by taking that nasty burden of Airwolf off your shoulders." Marella said slowly, looking at Hawke with a careful smile.

Archangel chuckled, leaning both arms on his cane.

"This is a great success and a relief." he said "Whatever knowledge she has needs to be kept far away from the Russian military."

"Just what is it that she knows?" Hawke asked.

"That's what we want to find out." Archangel said.

"You don't have any idea?" Dominic asked in disbelief.

Archangel chuckled "Hm." he looked at Dominic with a breath "I have my suspisions."

"It was more important to retrieve her before any real damage was done." Marella said.

"You aren't by chance having the FIRM seize Airwolf while we're in here are you?" Hawke asked. Dominic's eyebrows went up at the thought.

Archangel shook his head in amusement before looking at him "No, I had no intention of depriving you of your..." he paused a moment "Leverage."

"Leverage, ha!" Dominic scoffed, folding his arms "That little lady is part of the family now."

Elena suddenly sprang from her bed, ripping her I.V. clean out. That jerked her back for a moment and it knocked over the I.V. stand with a crash, but Elena grabbed a syringe from the tray, heading for Dominic, who was closest.

Fortunately, she hadn't noticed Hawke on the other side. He moved in quickly to grab her raised arm and twist it down. She thrashed, trying to free herself and Hawke pushed her down on the bed.

"Easy. Easy!" he said sharply.

Dominick and Archangel watched in shock at how quickly the woman had awoken. Dominic made sure his back was to the wall now.

Elena continued to struggle, blood trickling down her arm from where the I.V. had been pulled out. Hawke pulled her up, still holding both her arms back, his face in an intense scowl. Elena's eyes were wide and Dominic noticed the terror in them very quickly.

"Hey, hey. Calm down." he said in a concerned voice gentler than Hawke's. The woman was breathing heavily, glaring at them in front of her. Hawke pulled the syringe out of her hand and threw it to the side.

"Elena Chambers." Archangel spoke to her, one hand on his cane now.

"Yeah? Who are you?" she spat at him.

Two guards from outside the room hurried in, rifles in their hands. Archangel glanced back at them and then looked back at her. Elena narrowed her eyes.

"Will you sit?" he asked.

She stared back at him stubbornly for a second before seeming to relent. Hawke slowly began to release her and allowed her to sit down. He still watched her carefully though with a quick glance at Dominic, who shrugged.

"My name is Archangel." the man dressed in white said.

"Funny name." Elena replied coldly "Where am I?"

"You're back in your home country." Archangel said, looking at her with a tiny amount of wariness. Hawke turned around to open a few drawers of medical supplies.

"And what do you want with me?" Elena demanded.

"We know you were working on some new nuclear advancements." Archangel said and the woman tightened her lips angrily.

"That's all anyone cares about, isn't it?" she asked.

Hawke pressed a piece of gauze onto her bleeding arm and Elena jerked away, giving him a glare. She held it down with her own fingers and moved away from him as she listened to the man in front of her.

"We care because if the Russians get their hands on a new innovation, it could lead this country into a new world war." Archangel said forcefully. Marella looked at the woman from beside him.

"You could lead us to a new world war just as well." Elena replied.

"The difference being that we know only to use this technology in extreme circumstances." Hawke said, walking forward and turning slightly to face her.

"If you think I'm helping you, then you're out of your mind." Elena said, looking directly at him "All this knowledge has brought me is trouble."

"You will help us because you won't leave here until you do." Archangel replied.

Elena looked at him, anger clear in her eyes.

"Elena, look at it this way." Marella said encouragingly "You tell us what we want to know and then that knowledge is ours to guard. Not yours."

"All you people want is to use me." Elena growled, pulling off the gauze "Just like the others."  
Marella looked at Archangel who frowned.

"The Soviets?" he asked "I was lead to believe you defected to join them."

Elena scoffed "You really are comical. With your cane and your little eye patch."

This earned a small laugh from Hawke and Archangel looked at him for a moment.

"If you were taken there against your will, then you should have no problem helping us I would assume." he said.

"You assume wrong then." Elena replied, glaring "I can refuse to help you."

"You don't seem to realize that you don't have the ideal amount of power to refuse our request." Archangel told her.

Elena looked at him, nearly shaking with fury and almost unnoticable anxiety.

* * *

Hawke watched through window of the medical room as Archangel continued to speak with the woman.

Dominic was shutting the door behind them and then he looked over at Hawke.

"What's wrong, String?" he asked.

Hawke glanced at him and let out a gruff sigh.

"I don't like it." he said "If the Soviets took her against her will, that means she had no intention of helping them."

"But if we let her go, they'll come right back to her." Dominic responded "You know that, String. I'm not saying I like it either but whatever she knows is much safer here than anywhere else." he put a hand on Hawke's shoulder "Come on, let's go grab a bite while he's talking with her."  
Hawke hesitated a moment before he turned to follow Dominic.

Once the nurse had returned and tended to Elena's arm, they had escorted her from the room. She hasn't given them anymore trouble and hadn't spoken since their last conversation.  
Two of Archangel's guards walked behind Elena, Hawke, and Dominic while Archangel and Marella walked ahead of them.

Elena's face was tight as she walked with them to the helicopter pad. Archangel planned to take her to another more secure FIRM facility. They opened the doors to both Airwolf and Archangel's white helicopter.

Elena stopped and the guards behind her halted, lifting their weapons slightly.  
Hawke glanced back at her and the other stopped also.

"You're not taking me up in one of those." she said.

"Well how do you think we got you here?" Hawke asked, squinting slightly in the sun.

"I don't care how you got me here, I don't want to go up in one." Elena replied, scowling.

"You afraid of heights?" Hawke asked. Archangel watched them with a glance at the helicopter. He had both hands at the top of his cane.

"You catch on quick." Elena said sarcastically.

"Well there's nothing to be afraid of, miss." Dominic said kindly "Especially not in The Lady. That's the big black one over there. She's safer than any other machine out there. And String here is the best pilot around."

Elena looked slightly confused for a moment at the mention of Hawke's name, but then she reverted right back to the scowl.

"I'm guessing you missed the part where he informed you I was afraid of heights. Helicopters equal high altitude, it's as simple as that."

"Well you must have gotten to Russia somehow." Hawke replied, taking a few steps towards her, hands on his hips.

"Things seem to happen when you're being kidnapped. You tend to be unconscious." Elena said.

"Well, I could offer you that, but I think you'd prefer to stay awake. You'd miss the scenery." Hawke said smartly, a small smile creasing his mouth.

Elena didn't return it. Hawke glanced at Dominic, one eyebrow up.

"Look, what if we promise to fly real slow until you adjust, eh?" Dominic asked with a big smile.  
The woman stared at him, eyes cold.

Dominic's smile diminished as she walked past and he looked at Hawke with a rather abashed expression.

Elena kept her eyes closed as they took off. Airwolf screeched as the wheels folded up and Hawke slowly pulled back the lever. He looked at Elena as they lifted off and then looked forward again.

Elena slowly opened her eyes and peeked out the window. She pulled back immediately, shutting them again.

Hawke glanced at her "I would try to relax." he said with gentle amusement as he reached to touch her shoulder.

Elena jerked away with a glare at him "Don't touch me." she snapped.

Hawke looked at her for a moment more before turning to face the front.

"Look, lady, no one here is going to hurt you." Dominic said from the back.

"If I believed that, I'd believe anything." Elena growled. She put a hand on the door as if she were dizzy and needed to steady herself.

"Do you want turbos?" Dominic asked.

Hawke glanced at the woman then replied "No, I think we'd better keep it at this pace for a while."

* * *

Airwolf made it's desent onto the helicopter pad, blades spinning rapidly. They began to slow and Archangel's white helicopter landed a several yards away. Marella hopped out while the blades still spun. The compound was near a big city, just a few miles off.  
Hawke slipped off his helmet and Elena finally seemed to relieve her tense muscles. Dominic got out after Hawke and the younger man walked over to open the door for Elena.  
Archangel walked over, leaning on his cane with each step. The woman ignored Hawke's hand to help her down and hopped down on her own.

"I hope that wasn't too miserable for you." Archangel said to her.

Elena didn't say anything to him. Two others of Archangel's guards were at the door to the facility.

"Elena, you can follow me." Marella said, gesturing at her. The woman didn't move for a moment and the others glanced at each other for a moment, wondering if she was going to refuse. Then she took a step forward and Marella turned around.

Hawke folded his arms as she walked away. Archangel looked at him and Dominic.

"Well it looks like your mission is complete." he said.

"What are you going to do with her?" Hawke asked pointedly.

"Once she enlightens us, she'll be set free." Archangel said, jaw turning slightly.

"You know the Soviets will just find her and kill her." Hawke said sharply, standing rigidly in front of him.

Archangel's eyebrows went up and he looked at the ground in thought "Well I suppose I can provide for protective custody. I doubt she'll be very pleased with that."

Hawke let out a deep breath "She'll be alive." he replied, walking past him.

Archangel looked at Dominic, who shrugged with a small shake of his head.


	4. Making the Wrong Call

**For those of you who don't know, "Saint John" is pronounced "Sinjin." :) I love Hawke by the way...as I'm sure most of us do.**

"So I assume we get to ask something in return for our little endeaver?" Dominic asked with a hopeful smile as him, Hawke, and Archangel walked down the hall.

"What were you hoping for?" Archangel asked, tiredly.

"I was thinking something along the lines of an update of where Saint John is." Hawke asked, stopping and folding his arms.

"Hawke, you know we're doing the best we can." Archangel replied in frustration.

"Yeah, I'll bet." Hawke said, frowning at him "Just how much effort do you expect me to believe you're offerin'?"

"I think you have a pretty good idea of how much the FIRM would like Airwolf back." Archangel responded "That's years of research gone."

"It's not gone, she's with us." Dominic replied. He smiled and leaned back with a laugh.

"This isn't funny." Archangel said.

Dominic regarded him slyly "Oh sure, begrudge me just because I like a little laughter in my life. Come one, whaddya say? A nice wash and a nice fresh supply for her, eh? She gets pretty dirty doing, you know, the DIRTY work.""

Hawke sniffed in amusement, glancing at Dominic with a small smile.

Archangel raised his eyebrows "That's it? No, threats, no blackmail?"

"Well, leave it to me, I'll come up with something." Hawke said smartly.

Dominic laughed and slapped him on the shoulder as they continued to walk.

Alarms suddenly started ringing and all three of them looked up at the the red flashing lights on the walls.

"Alert." a mechanic voice came over the system "Security breach. Alert. Security breach."

Hawke unfolded his arms to start walking back towards the door they entered. Dominic followed him, but looked back at several crashing sounds and guns clattering to the floor. Archangel began to walk that way when Elena came out of the room down the hall, looking frantically both ways.

"Hey!" Hawke yelled and she spotted them.

Immediately she ran the other direction. Hawke started running after her. Elena shoved open a door and he caught it behind her.

Surprisingly, the woman turned to face him with a flying punch. Hawke took it completely unprepared and staggered to the side. She then kicked him backwards and bolted out the door.  
Hawke pushed himself off the floor, looking after her with a scowl of frustration and surprise. He put a hand on his shoulder, which had hit the wall the hardest.

"String!" Dominic called, pushing open the door. He was about to call again when he spotted Hawke.

"Did she get away?" Dominic asked, eyes wide.

"Yeah." Hawke said, letting his hand fall "Come on, we've got to get to Airwolf."

"The men just radioed in. There are Russian helicopters attacking out there." Dominic said.  
"I thought so." Hawke replied, walking determinedly through the door "She knew to leave when she heard the alarms."

"She lied?" Dominic asked, following.

Hawke didn't reply, but they stopped in front of Archangel, who was just coming out of the room where Elena escaped, mouth opened as he looked down the hall at them.

"Where's Marella?" Hawke asked, with his usually concerned scowl.

"She's unconscious." Archangel replied "As are both the men."

"That means she didn't want to kill." Hawke said angrily "Come on, Dom."

"Hawke, be careful." Archangel said quickly, taking a few steps after him "Going out there right now could be suicde."

"Not if they got what they came for." Hawke said, without looking back.

They could still hear rounds of bullets hitting the helicopter pad as they neared the door.  
The men protecting the compound shot back, but it was clear they were fighting a losing battle.

Hawke opened the door, keeping his head ducked. Dominic followed suit.

A trail of bullets followed them for several footsteps, until Hawke reached Airwolf, flattening himself on the side.

"Okay, Dom, get in!" he called, before pulling his own door open.

Both of them pulled themselves in. Hawke pushed on his helmet, sweat glistening on his face.  
"Alright, let's go."

Airwolf began to wind up and Hawke slowly lifted her into the air. Bullets were ricocheting off the outside and he eased her forward before rotating around.

"Chain guns one and two." he ordered.

"Chain guns. One and two." Dominic repeated, pressing a few buttons.

Hawke squeezed the side of the control, firing on the first black helicopter. It fired back for a moment before veering off. The other one immediately backed off and turned around to fly away in rush.

"Looks like they have what they came for." Hawke said with a deep breath out "I'll follow them for a while."

"Do you think they're running because they have her?" Dominic asked, scowling slightly "I think we forget Airwolf doesn't look like the average helicopter from outside."

"Yeah. They backed off pretty quickly. A little too quickly." Hawke replied.

He kept at a slow pace behind the other two helicopters, letting them lead them to wherever they came from.

"You think they're heading back to Russia?" Dominic asked, looking down at the controls.

"No, I don't think so." Hawke replied "They probably have somewhere here they'll land. I want to know where that is."

* * *

Elena pressed her foot down harder on the gas pedal, willing the jeep to go faster. She wanted to follow the helicopters, but they were going far to fast. Luckily, she knew where they were heading.

She'd thrown the communication set out of the car as soon as she'd gotten in. Her heart was pounding and she had dirt streaked on her face from all the dust she was kicking up.

Elena only wished she could have flagged down the helicopters, much as she hated being in the air.

Then she looked up at the same huge black helicopter they had picked her up in before. It was heading the same direction, obviously following the others.

* * *

"They're descending." Dominic reported to Hawke, staring down at the screen.

"Yeah, I think they're heading for that building a few miles out." Hawke replied, lifting his chin to see a bit below.

"So? Are we going to get her back?" Dominic asked, looking at Hawke, eyebrows up.

"That's the hope." Hawke replied with a gruff sigh "Unless Archangel can come up with something better."

"I doubt it." Dominic said, then he perked up "Hey, String, another helicopter coming our way."

"I see it." Hawke replied, turning Airwolf slightly to the left.

"Incoming rocket." Dominic said urgently. The triangle on the screen was approaching quickly "Sunburst?"

"No, I'll take this one." Hawke said back. He waited as the computer targeted it before clicking on the side of the joystick. A missle fired from Airwolf, speeding towards the other one. They collided with a large explosion.

The new enemy helicopter shot several rounds, all hitting Airwolf without making a scratch.

Hawke fired back, holding down the button. The helicopter veered off immediately.

"The other two aren't landing there." Dominic said in bewilderment.

The original two helicopters, although very low to the ground, were hovering in place. Several men came running out of the building below. It was surrounded by a tall fence and there were military jeeps on the grounds.

The men began firing up at Airwolf, shouting at their companions.

A beep began sounding within the space and Hawke pulled away from the building.

"Airwolf here. Michael, what is it?" he asked.

"Hawke, Elena is heading south in one of our jeeps. There's a homing beacon in it so we know where she is. Have you found her?"

Hawke glanced back at Dominic "No, we followed the helicopters in the same direction. They appear to have a base out here as well." he maneuvered Airwolf over to the left.

"That must be where she's heading." Archangel replied "I have men trailing her. Keep on them out there. It might best best to terminate that problem while we can."

"I plan to." Hawke said "We're under fire."

He cut the communications.

"String, we've got missles coming in behind." Dominic said.

"Sunburst." Hawke ordered and Dominic tapped the button. There was a pop outside as to bright lights flared in the air. The missles aimed right for them and exploded in a cloud of black smoke.

The black helicopter was weaving behind them with continual fire.

"Looks like they didn't pick her up, String." Dominic said, looking at him.

"No, but she was heading this way." Hawke replied.

The men outside the building were still shooting and Hawke returned with a spray of gunfire. Many of the men dived or fell out of the explosion of dust.

Airwolf flew upward and made a full flip to get on the other side of the helicopter. The pilots inside twisted their heads to look beside as Airwolf approached behind them.

Hawke pressed the button on the side and the black helicopter erupted in flames. It fell to the earth, blades still rotating.

"Ground missles coming in." Dominic warned.

"How many?" Hawke asked, turning Airwolf around with a boost of the turbos.

"Two." Dominic replied "Closing fast. 50 meters."

Airwolf released two rockets which collided with the ones racing toward them. The helicopter flew through the mist of smoke, firing two more missles down on the building.

The men controlling the launcher dived to the side.

Hawke weaved around and let a spray of bullets continue the explosion.

* * *

Elena's jeep skidded on the rocks for a moment and she twisted the steering wheel rapidly as she tried to regain control.

She heard an explosion in the distance and her heart began pounding.

There was the buzz of helicopters getting closer and Elena looked back to see several of them approaching. She attempted to speed up, heart racing.

They overtook her easily and flipped around to face her. Elena jammed on the breaks as they lowered to the ground in front of her.

Several men jumped out of the helicopters, weapons up.

"Get out of the car with your hands up." one of the men ordered, walking forward.

Elena glared at him and for a moment he wondered if she wouldn't need his order. Then the woman reluctantly got out and put her hands up.

Then, Archangel got out of the lead white helicopter, walking over to her.

"You don't seem to to have captured the rules of this game." he said, staring her down.

"I think I've captured it enough." Elena spat at him.

Archangel paused for a moment before replying.

"Miss Chambers...I really don't want to hurt you, but you do pose quite a threat to this nation's security." he said.

"I pose a threat to no one if you governments would just leave me alone." Elena replied.

"We know you weren't just working for them because they kidnapped you." Archangel said "You had an arrangement. You were heading back to their base here. We've already found it. Why are you working for them?"

"I'm NOT. My father is being held hostage." Elena said angrily and the man looked taken aback for a second "Did you expect me just to sit back and let him be killed? That's OUR building that the Soviets took over. I'm not interested in helping ANY government agency. They have my father there and if I don't do what they want, he's dead. You get that picture wrapped around your brain? Now call off your damn helicopter!"

"Why didn't you say anything about this before?" Archangel demanded.

"Because I trust you so much?" Elena asked as if he were stupid.

Archangel turned away from her in disgust and walked back to his helicopter swiftly. He leaned in and grabbed his radio set.

"Hawke. Hawke, do you read me?" he said.

The sky in the distance suddenly exploded in a cloud of fire and then faded to very black smoke. Archangel looked at it dismally, mouth open slightly as he put down the headset back down.


	5. Shaded Past

Hawke slowly lowered Airwolf to the helicopter pad and then let the blades come to a stop as he took off his helmet. Dominic did the same and they both shut the doors as they got out. He walked around the helicopter with a broad smile.

"Well, baby, you did it again. And not a scratch on her too, I'm impressed."

Hawke chuckled with a curved smile "I think the pilot deserves most the credit for that."

"Well come on." Dominic said, raising his eyebrows "Any other helicopter would have been torn to pieces, but not this old girl."

"I don't know if she's really that old, Dom."

"Not as old as me of course." Dominic replied, pretending to sound offended.

Hawke smiled and shook his head slightly at the ground.

* * *

The two of them had entered the building and were walking back down the hall towards where Elena was supposed to be kept.

Archangel was speaking with Marella outside the room. Marella appeared to be back to full strength despite having been unconscious for the last little while.

"So the Soviets didn't grab her." Hawke said as he approached them.

Archangel looked up at them, balancing both hands on his cane "No."

"Did she fight coming back?" Dominic asked, concerned.

"No. Not really." Archangel replied.

Hawke looked at him, eyes narrowed, sensing something was up.

"What's wrong?"

* * *

"Then why the hell didn't you tell us her father was in there?" Hawke demanded.

"I told you I didn't know!" Archangel replied sharply.

Hawke turned away from him in disgust. Dominic was leaning against the wall, arms folded and face unhappy.

"You know, Michael, this is exactly the kind of stunt you would pull." Hawke said, looking at him.

"That's not fair, he had nothing to do with it." Marella snapped.

"Hawke, she didn't tell us what was going on, we had no way of knowing." Archangel said with slightly less anger than Marella.

"You sent us in there knowing full well we'd destroy that base." Hawke retorted. Dominic nodded.

"That was a Soviet controlled area and they opened fire on you." Archangel replied "It had nothing to do with her father."

"I'm not so sure." Hawke said.

"Do you think we'd be standing here explaining this all to you if we had it planned all along?" Marella asked, arms out in indignation.

"You just might." Hawke replied, eyes narrowed.

"Hawke, we had nothing to do with it!" Archangel said forcefully, clearly getting impatient.

Hawke didn't say anything in return and instead Dominic spoke up.

"What did she do?" he asked, eyes slightly wide in worry as he asked.

"Nothing. She did nothing." Archangel said, rubbing the top of his head.

"Did she say anything?" Dominic asked.

"She said a few choice words. Mostly just named us murderers." Archangel said "She hasn't spoken since."

"Yeah, crying no doubt." Hawke said, walking past without looking at them. Dominic followed him and Archangel put his fingers to the bridge of his nose.

* * *

Hawke walked back out to Airwolf determinedly and Dominic stopped a few paces behind him. He reached to rub the side of his neck as Hawke opened the door with a hiss of escaping air.

"Ahh...String, I don't really think they had anything to do with it." he said. Hawke let out a weary sigh, shutting the door and leaning against Airwolf.

"Maybe not, but that doesn't mean Michael couldn't have gotten more information about this."

"Well, I agree." Dominic said.

"This isn't exactly a great way to get her to trust us either." Hawke replied.

"No, and I doubt she will." Dominic said.

"I think it might be best if she's not here." Hawke said "I'd like to take her up to the cabin."

"Archangel'll never go for that." Dominic said as if he was crazy.

Hawke scoffed as if he didn't care "He can come. If he wants. We've got to get through to her somehow. I think she'll respond better if we didn't act like she's a machine."

"Hey." Dominic objected giving him a shameful look "The Lady's right behind you, String. Let's not throw insults now."  
Despite the situation, Hawke broke into a smile with a shake of his head.

* * *

Hawke opened the door to Airwolf for Elena. She got in without a word and he shut it behind her.

Archangel was waiting near his his helicopter. The men had stocked it with the supplies the woman would need to complete her task. It had taken quite a bit of pressuring to get the man in white to agree to let Elena leave the compound, but he had eventually given in. One reason was because Hawke had threatened to leave with Airwolf.

Elena hadn't said anything to them the whole time and even now she was looking at the door. Hawke walked back around to his side.

Archangel waited a moment more before taking off his hat and getting into his helicopter.

Hawke pressed the button and Airwolf began to wind up for take off. He glanced over at Elena for a few seconds before very slowly beginning to take off. Dominic patiently waited as he did so. They rose up into the air and Elena closed her eyes, then squeezed them shut.

Hawke looked back at Dominic for a second, but his friend shrugged gently.

"We shouldn't be in the air for long." Hawke said, maneuvering in a circle. Archangel's helicopter came up beside them.  
Airwolf began moving forward and climbing in height.

"Archangel to Airwolf. Has she said anything, Hawke?" Archangel's voice came over Hawke's intercom.

"No." Hawke replied shortly to him.

Archangel didn't say anything more so Hawke took another look at Elena. He could see her shaking as they climbed even higher and debated on whether or not to say something to her. He was going to reach over, but then decided not to.

* * *

Once the cabin came into sight, Hawke spoke.

"We're just about there." he said.

"Beautiful as ever." Dominic commented warmly.

At that, Elena attempted to open her eyes. She managed to look out the front, eyes creasing into a scowl.

Hawke watched her before looking back ahead. He slowly began lowering Airwolf back down to the ground. Elena had to close her eyes again, as if she might be sick.

Archangel had arrived a bit before them, as requested. Hawke took Airwolf into a clear spot in the forest, where it was more protected. The landing gear came out and once they were on the ground, the blades slowed.

Hawke slipped off his helmet and opened his door with a hiss of escaping pressure.

He could see a few of Archangel's guards approaching, but he continued over to Elena's side. This time when Elena got down, she was about to take Hawke's hand when suddenly she pulled it back, as if reminding herself not to. Then she narrowed her eyes at the men in white before walking forward.

Dominic walked over to Hawke, eyes still on them.

"I've never seen someone so afraid of heights." Hawke said, looking at Dominic questioningly.

"Ahh, me neither, but not everyone grows up in the air." the older man replied.

"Yeah, but it's unfortunate." Hawke said, sounding dissatisfied with a deep sigh "Come on."

* * *

Elena was staring out at the scenery, looking slightly uneasy and confused. Hawke went to open the door and Tet came out, tail wagging. He walked in and Dominic followed. Elena didn't look like she particularly trusted going in. Tet followed Hawke in and after a moment's more hesitation Elena went in. Archangel was walking from his helicopter now, watching them.

Elena was looking around before eyes settling on Hawke.

"What are we doing here?" she asked. Hawke shrugged and his eyebrows went up at the same time.

"Well, I thought it might be nicer than being confined to a room." he replied.

Elena narrowed her eyes at him "Very charming." she said before turning away.

Hawke glanced at Dominic and Archangel came into the cabin. His men were setting things up to the left of the fireplace.  
Hawke waited a moment before speaking, mostly to the others "Should I start something for dinner?"

Dominic raised his eyebrows "Why not?"

* * *

Later that evening, Dominic was setting the dishes on the table along with Hawke. Elena had stayed silent the whole time, sitting at the desk put up for her. She was currently petting Tet, who was sitting right next to her.

Hawke looked over at her thoughtfully. She did seem much more calm out here than she had at the compound.

"This is beginning to seem more like a casual get together." Archangel said, looking at Hawke rather irritably "I hope you realize the trouble I went to to have this done for you."

"Its not helping us. It's helping you." Hawke replied sharply.

"Oh come on you two, lay off." Dominic said.

Hawke didn't back off right away, looking at Archangel sulkily, before picking up a plate from the table.

Elena rubbed the dog's neck, face expressionless. Tet was looking up at her, but he stood up as Hawke walked over. He set down a plate on the desk in front of her.

"There's that. If you're hungry." he said with a gruff breath out.

Elena didn't say anything, but she turned back to the table. Archangel had brought in a rather large amount equipment from the FIRM's lab which was set up in front of her.

"You can take a break from that." Hawke said and then turned away from her. Tet got up and followed him.

"Gee, I liked it better when she got angry." Dominic said quietly while shaking his head at the woman.

"Well, at least she's not attempting to escape anymore." Archangel said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He didn't quite admit it had been a good idea to bring her here, but it was close enough.

* * *

Hawke and Dominic were walking back from Airwolf in the dark after they had finished dinner.

"Well, looks like she's all set." Dominic said. He turned to Hawke as they were walking, pointing a finger "And you know what's better? No one would ever think of looking out here for something like her. Maybe this would be a better hidin' place."

"Except Michael knows right where it is." Hawke replied in amusement as he glanced at Dominic.

"Well there is that, but he might not think to look in the obvious." the older man replied.

"Yeah." Hawke said, looking back at the cabin.

"Hey, String, be honest with me will you?" Dominic asked, stopping and looking at him with worry "You don't feel anything for her, do you? I mean, besides the usually concern." he looked down at the ground for moment, almost as if he were ashamed for asking "I just don't think it would be good to get mixed up with her. What with her being so important with Archangel and all."

Hawke looked back toward the lake "I don't really care what Archangel thinks." he looked back "But no, I don't." he chuckled "Since when did you get so concerned with that?"

"Oh I'm not really." Dominic said "It's just that I don't want you to have to worry about it once Archangel decides to let her go."

"Well, I would anyway." Hawke replied "Come on, let's head back to the house and grab a beer."

* * *

Hawke popped off the lid of another beer and handed it to Archangel, who laughed quietly, hand on his mustache.  
"A little less fancy than your usual, but it's still beer." Hawke said.

"I don't exactly live in paradise everyday." Archangel replied "Which you obviously think I do."

"You seem too uptight to accept anything else." Hawke replied, smiling slightly as he looked away. He took a drink from his beer.

" _I'm_ uptight?" Archangel asked in disbelief.

"Why else would you dress in white all the time?" Hawke queried.

"He's got a point there." Dominic said, pointing at him with his three fingers not gripping his bottle "The white does seem to represent a higher standard."

"A higher standard, yes." Archangel replied "An easy life, no."

Hawke was quietly laughing, elbows on the table. He raised his head and looked over at Elena.

"Hey, Elena, would you like to come join us for a drink?" he asked.

The others looked at her and to their surprise she stood up from her desk and began to walk over to them.

Hawke got up as well and Elena stopped, her eyes emotionless as she looked at them.

"I'm smart enough not to drink when I'm alone with three men." she said and turned to walk out the door. Tet followed her, barely making it through the closing door.

The room was silent for a minute as Hawke looked at the other two with a deep breath. Dominic set down his bottle, lips creased down with a frown.

"There are guards stationed out there. If you were wondering." Archangel said.

"No, that's not what I was wondering." Hawke replied, scowling over at the door "She obviously doesn't trust men."  
"Or she just doesn't trust us." Dominic pointed out.

"You'd better ask Marella to come out here." Hawke said to Archangel and set his beer down "Excuse me."  
He walked over to the door, opened it, and went out.

Archangel sighed irritably and looked at Dominic "Why does he do this?"

"Awww...come on Michael. That girl is scared out of her wits. It gets to him." Dominic replied sympathetically.

* * *

Hawke walked down the steps from the cabin. Elena was already at the dock to the lake next to Archangel's white helicopter. Tet was laying on the ground and Hawke passed him.

He walked up to Elena and stopped a few feet away, hands on his hips. There was a very cold breeze blowing.  
"You know, none of us are men like that." Hawke said from behind her.

Elena didn't turn around and look at him, but she looked up at the starlit sky, tears reflected on her face.

"Hm. All men are men like that. Except for one I knew. But he's gone, so I can safely say all men are like that now." she replied, taking in a slightly shuddering breath "Why did you follow me?"

"I don't like the idea of you being terrified of us every second you're here." Hawke replied sharply. The woman didn't reply to him and Hawke waited a moment before speaking again.

"I'm sorry about your father." he said.

"Sure you are." Elena replied in quiet contempt.

"Look, it's freezing out here. Why don't you come back inside." Hawke said, holding out an arm towards the cabin.

"No thanks." Elena replied.

"Please." he said.

Elena turned around to face him "Back off, okay? Back off." her angry eyes were full of tears "My father is dead because of you and no _apology_ is going to change that." she stared at him for a moment before turning away.  
Hawke stood there a few more seconds before turning and walking back towards the cabin.

 **Please review!**


	6. Deceiver

The next morning, Dominic went and dropped another piece of wood onto the fire. It landed with a crash and Marella jumped.

"Dammit Dominic." she said, a hand on her chest.

"Oh, uh, sorry." Dominic said, tipping his hat at her innocently. He smiled and she rolled her eyes.

Archangel had brought Marella in early that morning to see if that would ease Elena's paranoia. So far, there hadn't been much of a difference in her response rate.

"That didn't seem like an accident." Marella said, raising an eyebrow.

"It was!" Dominic maintained his innocence.

Marella stepped over Tet on her way back over to Archangel, who was standing in the doorway looking outside. He was also smoking a cigar.

Elena had come inside quite late last night, eyes still slightly red. She wouldn't cry in front of them however.

That morning when she had come down, she hadn't said a word to anyone. Hawke was outside with Airwolf making sure everything was still in order.

Dominic had taken it upon himself to make pancakes. He had also left that morning to retrieve some other groceries since Hawke didn't keep the cabin well stocked with food all the time.

Elena sat at the desk with one of the FIRM's analysts. She was writing on a paper and he typed something into a computer. After a moment, he got up and walked over to Archangel. He said something quietly and Archangel waved him on with a slow nod. As the analyst opened the door to leave, Hawke was coming in. They walked past each other and Hawke glanced at Elena.

"Do you trust us now?" Marella asked Hawke "You found Airwolf right where you left her."

Hawke glanced at her from the corner of his eye, then laughed quietly.

"Yeah, I guess." he replied, not sounding sure at all.

Archangel rubbed under his mouth and turned around towards them.

"Seems like Dominic has taken charge of hospitality this morning." he said.

Hawke glanced over at his friend, who shrugged.

"Well, I thought it might be nice." Dominic said.

"I'm not complaining." Marella said, leaning on the arm of the couch and crossing her arms "I haven't had home cooked pancakes in years."

"You'd think the FIRM could provide that." Hawke said.

"You think the FIRM can provide anything you so wish as long as you have Airwolf." Archangel said. Clearly, he was still slightly peeved at Hawke.

Tet got up and walked over to Elena and she reached out to scratch him behind the ears.

Hawke left Archangel and walked over to her, hands on his hips.

"You like animals?" he asked, with a small smile.

Elena didn't say anything, but for the first time she kind of acknowledged him with a quick glance.

"She probably likes more CIVILIZED animals." Marella said, crossing her legs.

"Oh Tet's civilized, honey." Dominic said "He's about the calmest dog you could know."

Elena took in a deep breath and then stood up "You can drop the act and stop pretending like care about anything except getting what you want from me." she said.

The was a moment of silence as they looked at her and Hawke was looking at the ground thoughtfully.

"You know, that's not why we brought you here." he said, looking up.

"Oh really? Them why did you?" Elena asked tilting her head in contempt "So I could enjoy the fresh air?"

"No, I just thought you would appreciate being somewhere different." Hawke said shortly, turning away from her.  
Tet stood up and walked after him.

"Really? Now you decide to have a heart." Elena said after him.

Hawke looked back at her "You can think what you want, Elena. None of us knew your father was in there."

"Why in hell should I believe you?" Elena said, taking a few steps after him.

"Because we're not trying to hurt you." Hawke replied gruffly.

"You're such a coward." Elena said shaking her head in fascination "All of you. I'm not my father. I'm not a genius like he was. He's gone. All I know is what he told me. And I wish he hadn't because look where it got me."

"Maybe it would help if you would stop thinking of us as the enemy." Archangel said, twisting his jaw slightly.

"Maybe it would help if you would stop holding me prisoner." Elena replied, tilting her head with a glare.

"It would have to go both ways." Archangel replied sharply, lowering his cigar while looking at her.

"And we seem to be doing our part so far." Marella said, leaning on the couch and crossing her ankles.

"Except for the fact that I'm not allowed to leave." Elena replied.

"The Soviets are not going to leave you alone." Marella said, clearly getting frustrated "We're helping to keep you safe. We'll even provide you with protective custody afterwards-"

"Marella." Archangel quieted her and she glanced at him.

Elena looked at them, eyes narrowed.

"Not ones for keeping your word, are you?" she asked.

"The Soviets weren't going to let you go either." Marella said in exasperation.

"They don't exactly have a record of kindly treating their prisoners. Not matter how helpful they are to them." Archangel said, glancing up at her.

"Trust me, I know." Elena replied and looked away from him. Hawke took in a breath, eyes flicking over at Dominic for a second.

"Hey, look. It's not going to be that way." he said "We're doing it to keep you alive. Until it's safe to let you go again."

Elena looked back at him silently. She wasn't afraid to look people straight in the eye, but with him she could only do it for a few seconds. Finally, she turned back away to the desk.

Dominic gestured at Marella to come a bit closer and she did with just a little scowl.

"Let's just have a seat." he said "You're still waiting to have those pancakes."

"This isn't a joke, Dominic." Archangel said with an irritated whisper and emphasized the next part "We're not here to become friends with her."

"If you don't want her to think of us as the enemy, then you'd better stop acting like it." Dominic said softly, but fiercely as he pointed the spatula at him several times and nodded with finality. Archangel didn't reply, but he let out a resigned breath once he turned back away.

Marella grudgingly went to sit beside the man in white. He muttered something to her and she shook her head.  
Hawke had his hands on his hips as he looked at Elena. He looked back at Dominic who just shrugged. He walked over to him and leaned against the counter, arms folded.

"What?" Dominic asked him.

"What would think about serving it outside?" Hawke asked lowly, one eyebrow leading his head to look at the man.

Dominic looked back and forth between him and Elena, scowling "Why?"

"She doesn't respond well to force." Hawke replied thoughtfully with a small shrug.

"Well, not many people do." Dominic replied smartly "You don't."

Hawke glanced at him and took in a breath.

"Alright. Alright." Dominic said "You tell Archangel over there, he's not really in a good mood."

"So what else is new?" Hawke asked, turning on one foot.

* * *

When Elena got a chance to go outside, she went over to the lake to look out at the scenery.

Dominic sat on the porch, watching her with his arms folded. He shook his head slightly.

Archangel leaned on the railing, squinting in the sunlight. Marella was still inside along with Hawke. Tet lay on the porch, head on the ground.

There were some fish that were jumping in the lake, sending water flying.

The door to the cabin opened and Hawke stepped out with his cello in one hand, shutting the door behind him. He walked down the steps and to an old tree stump about halfway between the lake and the cabin. He set down the cello and situated himself before slowly pulling the bow across the strings.

Elena's head turned slightly, but she didn't look over at him.

Dominic stood up to go over to Archangel as Hawke played.

"Have we annoyed you enough?" he asked.

Archangel glanced back at him "You're joking, of course."

Dominic chuckled, folding his arms again.

"When I asked you two to take this mission, I didn't envision you becoming best friends with the prisoner." Archangel said.

"Why not? We always do things to annoy you." Dominic replied smartly, shrugging. His face frowned "Oh come on Michael, don't you feel the least bit sorry for her?"

"I can't afford too." Archangel replied in exasperation "Besides, I wouldn't have brought her here if I didn't."

Dominic broke into a smile and laughed.

"You realize she's not going to turn, though, right?" Archangel asked "At least not in the time frame we have."

Dominic sighed "We might as well do our best."

Hawke was looking up at the sun as he played gently. After a moment, there was the call of an eagle and it flew overhead.  
Elena watched it fly by, it's wings flapping gracefully. It circled for a moment as Hawke played. He watched it as well, his face content.

Marella opened the door and stepped outside. Her shoes clicked as she came out.

"That's a pretty eagle." she commented "Michael, the FIRM is calling in."

Archangel pushed off the railing and turned to walk over. He sighed.

"Pray it's something good, Dominic."

"Oh I'm praying." Dominic replied with a nod.

Marella gave him an annoyed look as she followed Archangel in.

* * *

"What do you mean we have to take her back in?" Hawke asked, walking adamantly over to Archangel. His face wore a deep scowl.

"I'm saying they need her there, Hawke." Archangel replied angrily "At least for a few hours. There are a few things that don't check out with her information."

"Like what?" Hawke demanded "You think she's lying? Because the last time you thought so, her father ended up being killed."

"Her father has nothing to do with this." Archangel said, pointing at the ground "And I am about two seconds from removing you from this assignment with her."

Dominic straightened up at that, scowling.

"Hawke, this is a matter of national security." Marella said in frustration.

"Yeah, I'm aware." he replied, gruffly.

"Then why can't we get that through your head?" she asked.

"Now look here." Dominic said defensively "We did what you asked. Elena is away from the Soviets."

"Listen." Archangel said forcefully "I don't know why you've been so adamant about everything with this, but it ends now. This is out of my hands." he turned away and looked back "I'm not telling you to abandon her to wolves, I'm telling you we need to take her back so she can explain a few things."

Hawke let out a deep breath, eyes still narrowed. He glanced at the ground then back at Archangel "How long?"

"A few hours at the most." Archangel said.

"What do they need her there for?" Hawke said, though he kept the annoyance out of his voice "Why don't we talk to her here?"

"That's not what the rest of the FIRM asked." Archangel replied "Need I remind you that we're already twisting their arms by _bringing_ her here."

Hawke just stared at him, eyes still scowling lightly.

Archangel sighed "I suppose we can try, but if she can't answer, then we've _got_ to bring her in."

Dominic looked at Hawke, his eyebrows going up expectantly. The younger man blew out a breath slowly through his nose, looking reluctant.

"But Hawke, you've got to let _me_ handle it." Archangel replied, staring him down.

* * *

Elena gazed over at Archangel, her expression cold. She was sitting on the couch across from the man. Marella stood behind him. Hawke and Dominic were over in the kitchen area.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about." she said, her voice just as cold.

"I actually think you do." Archangel said, looking down at a piece of paper "We checked into your background and it turns out you weren't born into the Chamber family."

Dominic looked at Hawke, mouth open slightly. Hawke raised his chin, angry Archangel hadn't said anything about this.  
Elena looked down at the ground for a moment, mouth closed. She stayed silent until finally she looked up.

"I don't want to be connected with my former family's name." she said simply.

"It's reported that your mother died of cancer when you were about eleven and your father took custody of you. He died four years later. So the man you claim the Soviets had held hostage wasn't your father."

"He's the only real father I've ever had." Elena replied bitterly. Hawke glanced at Dominic.

"From the way I see it, you've been sabotaging the information you've been giving us and made up this story about your supposed father." Archangel said.

"If only If thought of that." Elena replied sarcastically "And no, I haven't. I just don't have everything I need. You see when you took me from my first prison, you didn't really give me the chance to gather my neccesary supplies. There are things that the Soviets have that I need if you want to know everything my father told me." she looked at him as if challenging him to deny that man was her father.

"You mean, the Soviets have this information?" Archangel asked sharply, eyes wide.

"No. Without me, they don't yet." Elena responded "Some of the things I need are with them."

"Where?" Archangel asked.

Elena stared back at him without replying, face hard.

"And you knew about this the whole time?" Archangel asked, looking at her incredulously.

"I'll give you what I have here. Provided you let me go once I do." she glared " _Right_ after."

"No." Archangel replied "We need it all. If the Russians have any part of it, the whole world is in danger."

"Not my problem." Elena said.

"It very much is your problem." Archangel replied sharply, eyes slightly wide.

"Look, you're the one who took me." Elena snapped "I'm not responsible for anything you left behind."

* * *

Hawke adjusted the net over Airwolf, making sure the big black helicopter was properly covered. Archangel had recontacted the FIRM and Hawke had left the others in the cabin. Elena had been petting Tet again when he left. Unknown to him, Dominic had followed him out.

He watched the younger man for a moment before walking up to him.

"You okay?" he asked.

Hawke glanced over at him and looked down at the ground with a shrug.

"I'm fine."

"I wonder what she meant when she said that he was the only real father she'd ever had. It's been bugging me. It didn't sound good." Dominic said.

"I'm guessing she was abused." Hawke replied.

"You think?" Dominic asked, face creased in concern.

"Well it makes sense." Hawke responded with another small shrug. "She doesn't trust us and she definitely got better when Marella came."

"You think so? I couldn't tell." Dominic said "I kind of thought it made it worse. Marella and Archangel team up, you know?"  
"Yeah, well, she's been less paranoid."

"I don't think she's eaten a thing yet." Dominic said.

"She hasn't." Hawke replied "And the fact that Archangel attacked her like that didn't help one bit."

"Well I agree." Dominic said with a scoff. He leaned forward slightly "But what are you planning to do about it, String? Archangel seems pretty serious about this one. I don't know if I would press it."

"He definitely isn't keeping us in the loop about what's going on." Hawke replied.

"Well, yes, but-" Dominic glanced back at the sound of someone approaching. Hawke raised his chin slightly as Archangel came around the surrounding greenery. He was leaning on the cane rather heavily at the moment.

"Sorry if I'm disturbing something." he said slowly. He waited a moment for a response, but Hawke just folded his arms.

"The FIRM agrees with me and believes we need to pursue this." he said "I would appreciate it if you two would still be willing to help me retrieve what it is that Elena needs."

Hawke chuckled bitterly and turned to the side slightly.

"Really, Michael?" he asked "You just told me I no longer needed to be involved."

"As I've said, this is a sensitive situation." Archangel replied "I need you to take her back to the building you originally retrieved her from."

"What if we blew it up before?" Hawke asked.

Archangel smirked "I happen to know you didn't. As a matter of fact, it's quite deserted at the moment. I've had men keep an eye out."

"Well this seems rather counterproductive." Hawke said "Why not just hand her back over to the Russians right now?"

"It'll be your job to make sure that doesn't happen." Archangel replied.

 **Please Review! Thanks CaitHawke4ever for the review!**


	7. Sympathy

Surprisingly, when Archangel had told Elena that they were taking her back, she hadn't said a word. She'd just waited silently, keeping her expressionless gaze on the ground. Unfortunately, instead of being satisfied, Archangel had gotten even more suspicious. Hawke hadn't waited to go and remove the net from Airwolf. Even though him and Archangel seemed to sort out their differences, they definitely didn't always see eye to eye. Marella and Dominic were in the cabin kitchen, where the woman was looking silently at the remains of the pancake breakfast.

"You know, uh, I'm sure Archangel wouldn't mind of you made pancakes of your own every once in a while." Dominic said, watching her with a small smile.

Marella glanced at him "Do you think I have time for that?" she asked, but with humor in her voice.

"You can make some." Dominic replied "Tell old whitey to take a few deep breaths."

"You realize you're also insulting me when you say that, right?" Marella said, holding out her arms to show him her very white outfit.

"Oh come on." Dominic said waving a hand "You can't tell me you enjoy wearing that everyday."

"As a matter of fact, I do." Marella replied pointedly.

Elena let out a deep breath from where she was sitting and Archangel glanced over at her from the couch, hand resting under his mustache.

"I should, uh, go help String." Dominic said, putting up a finger. He walked over to the door quickly.

Archangel looked after him, seeming very troubled about the event about to take place.

* * *

"We're just going in and out." Hawke said, as Airwolf rose into the air. He clearly wasn't happy with this. Elena seemed just as sick as the other times she'd been in the air, but more determined not to show it.

Archangel was staying at the cabin with Marella and Tet. He stood on the dock, watching them leave with a sober expression.

Dominic peered over the seat at Hawke, trying to catch a glimpse or his expression. He and Elena seemed especially tense. Dominic just shook his head.

Hawke glanced over at her for a second. He moved his finger up toward the turbo button, but then gripped the joy stick with all his fingers again.

* * *

Several hours later, Dominic spoke.

"String we're coming up on the compound. About 5 miles out."

"Good." Hawke said, with a breath out of his nose "Any sign of life in there?"

"Nope, not a soul." Dominic replied "It's empty, just like Archangel said."

Elena had managed to calm just a little bit on their long trip there, but as soon as they spoke, she tensed right back up. Hawke heard her breathing quicken and gave her a quick look. She hated it when they landed.

"Do you want us to go the same place we did last time?" Dominic asked "Or a little bit closer?"

"I think it might be best to go to the same spot." Hawke said "In case we run into any surprises."

"Like what?" Dominic asked sharply with a small laugh "They've abandoned the place."

"It sure looks like it." Hawke replied, pushing the lever down. Airwolf descended into the same clear area in the greenery as before, landing gear moving into position. Dust flew from the area below them, swirling in circles.

Elena leaned forward to look out the window, frowning.

Hawke reached down and grabbed his gun as the blades slowed down. He opened the door with a hiss of air and shut it again with the same.

Elena opened her own door without waiting for Hawke this time. She hopped down as he walked over, hands on his hips. Dominic got out after her.

Elena waited for a moment and then looked at Hawke. He held out an arm for her to go first with one eyebrow raised to the side. She walked forward and away from them. It was clear she was trying to keep away from them.

Hawke followed her and Dominic hurried after. He looked over at Hawke as they walked.

"Do you trust her not to run?" he asked.

"I'll keep an eye on her." Hawke replied with a glance at him.

There were blackened areas still visible where Airwolf had shot up. Elena looked down at it as she passed. Hawke quickened his pace to get closer to her when they got near the building.

Dominic looked behind them for a moment, paranoia setting it.

The building was quiet and the doors were locked. Hawke seemed ready to try kicking it down, but Dominic spoke.

"Wait, wait, this might be a better idea." he pulled out a screwdriver from his pocket in the flight suit. and held it up.

Hawke looked at him, eyebrows up "You always carry one of those things around in your pocket?"

"No, I just had it from the last time we worked on the lady." Dominic replied defensively "Help me, will ya?" he got down on one knee and edged the screwdriver below the door hinge.

Hawke's eyes flicked to Elena as Dominic hit the hinge a few times to knock it out of place. He then moved forward to help him knock the other one out. The door leaned back and Hawke and Dominic pulled it out of the way and leaned it on the door frame.

"See, no damage done now." Dominic said "To you or the door."

Hawke let out a deep breath as he glanced him "Let's go." he said gruffly.

Elena followed Hawke as he entered in the door. He turned back as she stepped over the door leaning on the side, hands ready to help her over. She moved her arm out of the way so he didn't touch her and kept walking down the hall in front of him. Dominic went in after them, looking back out of the building.

"Alright, where is it?" Hawke asked.

Elena glanced at him, eyes narrowed "Assuming it's still where it was?" she asked coldly.

"Well if it's not, we're going to have a hell of a time reporting back to Archangel." Hawke replied smartly.

"Because you cringe to him every time he waves his cane?" Elena asked, walking past in disgust.

Hawke glanced at Dominic, who just shrugged sheepishly.

* * *

Elena shuffled through the papers on the multiple tables in the room. Hawke watched, hand resting on the small pistol tucked in his belt. Dominic was gazing at all the computers in the room.

"Heh. Why didn't they just have us do it here?" he asked with a huff of amused annoyance. He walked over and looked at the monitors. They were turned off, but everything was still intact. He ran his fingers over the keyboard.

"Looks like they had quite the arrangement for what they were going to do after they got that information." he said, putting his hands on his hips.

"Is it all here?" Hawke asked Elena.

She didn't reply for a few seconds as she looked at some papers.

"Most likely. It became quite chaotic when suddenly we were under attack." she said with no small amount of spite in her tone.

"We should get out of here." Hawke growled.

Elena looked like she was about to argue, eyes angry, but she kept her mouth shut. The air time had been quite long and she wasn't eager to return to it.

Hawke went out and Dominic waited for Elena to follow, which took a few seconds. Hawke glanced back to make sure, eyes scowling.

They were about to the door when suddenly Dominic stopped dead.

"String! You hear that?" he asked urgently "Helicopters. Coming this way."

Hawke listened for a half a second, before urging Elena forward with a hand on her back.

"Alright, come quick, we gotta get out to Airwolf."

The three of them made it outside the building within seconds, but the gray helicopters were already on them. Two of the three landed and the other one hovered above with men hanging on the sides, guns in their hands.

Three men jumped out of each with rifles in their hands. They were shouting in Russian as they ran over. Hawke pulled out his own gun and aimed it at them.

"Drop the gun." one of the men said. He had gotten out after the six men and had no weapon drawn as he came over "You two are Americans, yes? Put the gun down."

"Give me a reason why I should." Hawke said, dangerously. His eyes were narrowed to slits.

Two of the others with rifles walked forward.

"Polozhite oruzhiye seychas ili my budem strelyat'!" one of them shouted at him, their guns pointed at him and Dominic. The men roughly grabbed him, taking Hawke's gun from his hand. He didn't resist because of all the weapons pointed at the pair of them. He looked between them for a moment, with an intense frown.

"General, this is the man who attacked us." one of the men nearer to him said, gesturing at Hawke.

"And took my prize." the general replied "Prikhodite syuda, zhenshchina!" he pointed at two more of his men and ordered them forward. One of them took the papers from Elena and grabbed her by the arms. She pulled away from them angrily, but they yanked her towards the general.

"You lay a hand on her and I'll break your neck." Hawke warned, face serious.

The general walked forward until he stood in front of him. Then he pulled back an arm and punched Hawke in the face. It knocked him to the ground and Dominic's eyes flew open. He took a step toward as the general kicked Hawke in the stomach.

" _YOU-_ "

The men surrounding the general all immediately pointed their guns at him and Dominic stopped, face hard.

Hawke looked up at them from the ground, both arms holding him up as he stared. He had a cut next to his left eye which was already bleeding a little bit. One of the other men yanked him up and punched him across the face again.

"Khorosho, poydem. Privedite ikh i voz'mite mladshego v druguyu komnatu." the general said sharply, flicking a wrist. His men picked up Hawke and two others jerked Dominic forward.

Elena looked back at them as she was pulled to the side towards the building.

Hawke hit one of the men across the face and kicked another on backwards. The man holding Dominic shoved a gun into his lower back and he leaned back in pain.

The lead general hit Hawke, making him stumble to the side. Then he hit him on the back with his rifle, knocking him to the ground.

Elena watched with wide eyes as they pushed her back towards the building.

"String? String, are you okay?" Dominic asked worriedly when Hawke didn't move off the ground. Two men pulled him back up, holding his arms behind him tightly.

"Vykhodite, muzhchiny!" the general said and he waved his arm again, ordering the men inside. They dragged an unconscious Hawke along with them.

 **I am so sorry about the delay in updates...Please review! :)**


	8. Face Your Fears

"How you feeling, String?" Dominic asked as Hawke began to shuffle on the table in the room.

The small cut was dry and he looked a little worse for wear, but he opened his eyes. He slowly sat up and looked around the room.

Dominic stood up from the chair with a sigh "Well thank goodness." he said, rubbing the back of his neck "I wasn't sure if you were going to wake up. You took quite a blow."

"Where are we now?" Hawke asked, wincing at the pain in the back of his head. He reached back to touch it carefully.

"Same place. They've just locked us in a room." Dominic said "I don't know where they took Elena."

Hawke's face was a deep scowl as he looked around unhappily.

"How long have we been in here?" he demanded.

"Ah, a few hours at the least." Dominic replied in irritation.

"Well at least Archangel will be expecting us in a few more." Hawke growled.

"Do you think they got to Airwolf?" Dominic asked in concern.

"I don't think so. We put her a ways off." Hawke said, getting off the table.

"Yeah, but they've got to assume we got here somehow." Dominic replied sharply "Damn Archangel."

Hawke walked over to the door in the room and pulled down on it. The door didn't budge.

"I told you they locked it." Dominic said, walking over.

"Well, you still have that screwdriver on you?" Hawke asked, glancing at him.

Dominic looked surprised "Yeah. Yeah, I do." he pulled it out of his pocket "But we're going against a little more than an empty building this time, String."

"It's either that or wait for Archangel to realize we aren't returning." Hawke replied "And I don't want to wait for them to get the information from Elena."

"Now wait a minute, you can't go sneaking through this compound. Not with that head injury." Dominic protested, hands on his hips.

"I'm okay." Hawke replied "We need to get out of here first."

Dominic hesitated a second more before walking over.

"I should have just stayed with Airwolf." he said crossly.

"They didn't have too many men with them." Hawke said as Dominic got on his knee to edge the screwdriver underneath the hinge in the door.

"Yeah, but they might have brought more." Dominic said, with a grunt as he shoved the middle part of the hinge out. The two of them went silent as they waited. No sound came from outside of the door. Dominic glanced up at Hawke for a moment before standing up and going to the middle one. They repeated the same silent ritual for a few moments before continuing to the last one.

"Now, easy." Dominic said as he grabbed the door "Easy." Hawke helped him grab the top and they tipped it to the side very quietly.

Dominic glanced out of the door with creased eyebrows. Hawke pushed past and stepped over the door. He waved an arm for Dominic to follow.

They walked down the hall quickly and peeked around the corner to the next hall. There was a Russian guard walking the same direction at the other end of the hall, apparently patrolling.

Hawke ran at him from behind, hitting him with his whole body and flattening him to the ground. He picked up the rifle from around the soldiers arm and looked down the hall. He waved at Dominic again as they snuck down the hall. Hawke led the way, gun pointed straight ahead.

"They probably took her back to same room." Dominic said in a whisper "That's where everything is set up."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Hawke replied gruffly "Only one exit."

It was all quiet as they made their way toward the other side of the building. There was a faint sound of a helicopter buzzing outside, but so far no men confronted them.

"Here it is." Hawke said quietly, holding out an arm to stop Dominic.

He leaned into the doorway and peered in the door. Sure enough, Elena was in there with two of the men. She was sitting at a computer with the papers beside her. The men stood behind her, guns resting in their hands.

Behind them, there was a shout of alarm in Russian down the hall. Dominic looked back quickly towards their escaped room.

The men in the room with Elena looked towards the door. Elena saw Hawke and Dominic and her eyes widened. Since the men were distracted, she was able to swing out a leg and trip one of the men. She grabbed the other man's arm and twisted it down, making him drop his gun.

Hawke glanced back as a man turned the corner and began running down the hall towards them. He opened fire and the Russian fell to the ground.

Hawke opened the door to Elena kicking the first man unconscious. She went to pick up the papers with a hand gun still in her grasp.

"Come on, move, we gotta get out of here." Hawke ordered. Elena ignored him as she got the papers together. Then she ran towards the door and past Hawke. He went after her and the three of them headed towards the door.

Hawke put a hand on the edge to peer out. There were now four helicopters on the ground, meaning a few more men had arrived. The general wasn't out there, but four men were getting more ammunition out of the helicopters.

Hawke went out the door and sauntered over to hide behind a crate of some sort of supplies. He gestured at the others to follow him. Elena came first, but she went a few feet farther than Hawke.

Once Dominic was beside Hawke, Hawke spoke.

"Keep down unless they come closer to us." he said.

"Thanks." Elena said sarcastically, looking out over the crate.

The men were heading toward the building and would see them within a few seconds. Elena leaned over and shot one of them, killing him instantly. The others turned over, shouting in Russian. Bullets began flying their way, hitting the crate and sending dust flying.

Hawke fired back with his rifle and the men hit the ground to avoid being hit.

Just then, the rest of the Russian guards came from around the building. They called their men back to take cover.

Elena got off her knees and Hawke moved over to grab her arm. She yanked it away, glaring at him.

"You're not going anywhere." he said, over the sound of the weapons firing.

"Remember, I'm not on your team either." Elena snapped.

"You don't come with us and the Russians'll get you back before you can count to ten." Hawke replied angrily, looking back over at the men. He immediately ducked back down as bullets pinged off the metal.

"But you guys already have me." Elena said fiercely.

"And we're going to let you go." Hawke said gruffly.

"Only once I'm no longer useful. And besides that's a lie. Marella already ruined that surprise for you."

Hawke just looked at her for a moment before putting up his weapon to shoot again.

Elena's eyes flicked to Dominic and back to him for a second. She looked over the side at all the men. She aimed carefully for a moment and fired another shot. It hit nothing but all of the men moved over to the right, away from her line of fire.

"String, there's no way we can get to Airwolf under fire like this." Dominic said.

"We just need bigger fire." Hawke replied.

"We don't have any more fire." Dominic said in frustration.

A flying bullet struck Elena and she fell back into the stack of crates. Hawke looked quickly over to see blood trickling off her shoulder.

"Elena!" Hawke said, dropping his weapon and getting closer to hold her shoulder.

"It's just a flesh wound. It just skimmed me." she said through her teeth "It's fine."

"Dom, hold this." Hawke said, gesturing at her wound "And you two get ready to run. Head towards Airwolf."

"What are you doing, String?" Dominic asked.

"You'll see." Hawke replied as the older man took his place.

He picked back up his rifle and leaned over the side. He started shooting several rounds, hitting a helicopter. After a few more moments, it erupted in a blast of flames. The men were thrown forward and away from their hiding spot.

"Go, go!" Hawke yelled.

Dominic and Elena took off and he followed behind them. As Hawke made it past the fence, he stumbled, and pushed himself back off the ground. He fired back at the few men still shooting their way.

The Russian men stopped and shouted a few things at each other. Then they ran to the last two functional helicopters.

"Keep runnin'." Hawke said "They're coming."

They trekked up the hill for a few minutes, Dominic keeping one hand on Elena's back.

Airwolf was still well hidden with the net over the length of her body. The Russian helicopters flew right over them and circled back a ways ahead.

"Alright, get in." Hawke said, trotting over to the other side. Dominic helped Elena in and then got in behind her.

Hawke pressed the button to start it up and after a few moments they rose into the air. Elena leaned back in the seat, wincing slightly in pain.

"Put the helmet on." Hawke said to her. He was sweating quite a bit as he moved Airwolf forward.

"String, they're coming back." Dominic warned "They've spotted us."

Hawke maneuvered to the left to face the two Russian helicopters coming their way. They veered off and spun around to follow Airwolf. Bullets ricocheted off the side.

"Incoming rocket." Dominic said, eyes flicking over the screen.

"They've got to know she's in here, why the hell are they firing on us." Hawke said "Turbos."

Dominic shoved the lever forward. Hawke pressed the button and they soared upward.

Elena screamed in surprise, gripping the sides of the cabin. Hawke glanced at her for a moment, but looked back quickly. The rocket flew below them, causing and explosion in the trees.

Airwolf banked slightly to the left and Dominic leaned forward to look at Hawke. His hand on the lever had very fresh, dark blood on it.

"String, are you bleedin'?" Dominic asked in shock. Hawke's head turned slightly toward him.

Elena looked over at him, though her face was quite pale.

"He's been shot." she said quickly. The front of his shirt was a mess of blood.

"I'm fine." Hawke said "We've got to stop those helicopters before we can go back."

Dominic didn't say anything else, but he seemed very worried as he looked back down at the screen.

Hawke weaved behind one of the helicopters, matching them move for move. He pressed down the control and a trail of bullets flew towards the helicopter. There was a bang and smoke erupted from the rotor. The front tipped forward and it crashed into the trees with an eruption of flames.

Hawke flew Airwolf up and around to get behind the second helicopter. It turned to the left, but Hawke followed them closely. At least for a few seconds.

"You're going off course, String." Dominic said, staring at the screen. He glanced back up in concern.

Elena looked over at him again and noticed his eyes were partway closed. But at Dominic's voice he moved the control to go after the Russians again.

"He's not looking good." Elena said back to Dominic.

"Elena, take the controls." he said as Airwolf began to veer again.

"What? I can't fly a helicopter, are you insane?" Elena asked in horror.

"Dammit, take the controls!" Dominic snapped, eyes wide as he thought wildly about what to do.

Elena grabbed the joystick on her side tightly.

"Move it right, now." Dominic said "We've got to get out of here. I'm engaging turbos. Push the lower button on the left."

Elena complied and they shot forward. She fell backwards with the momentum, face squeezed.

The helicopter they left behind whirled around to give chase at first and fired a rocket after them.

Dominic sent out a sunburst without saying anything to Elena. The explosion behind them made her jump. She still gripped the controls and held them steady, but she was sweating bullets.

"We'll need to head back to the cabin." Dominic said, eyes wild with worry "I can't have you land this somewhere public."

"I won't be able to land this thing at all." Elena replied, but she didn't have the energy to put spite in her words.

"How's he doing?" Dominic asked, impatiently.

Elena looked over at the halfway conscious Hawke.

"Not good." she replied, returning her gaze to the front.

"Just say that why don't you?" Dominic snapped "Is he alive?"

"He's alive." Elena replied, her voice suddenly full of uncontrolled emotion. She glanced out the window, sickened by how fast they were going.


End file.
